The 40th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae

Cardinal Stafford, of the Sacred Penitentiary in Rome and an American prelate, has a thought-provoking article in the California Catholic daily on his personal review of the events surrounding the publication of Humanae Vitae entitled “In 1968, something terrible happened in the Church”. While it is long, it is a well-written piece that helps to tell the history of the dissent. I will not begin to do justice to his clarity, so please take time to read it.

With the fortieth anniversary of the publication of Humanae Vitae today (promulgation was actually on the 25th, the Feast of St. James), perhaps we ought to recapture what Pope Paul VI wrote. In Humanae Vitae, for a little review, the Pope taught that there is an inseparable, intrinsic link between union and procreation in every sexual act. He stated that acts rendered infertile by artificial means cease to honor this link, and could not be viewed as moral. He predicted that the embracing of contraception would lead to several evils: The objectification of women (and I would add men), the rift of husband and wife and weakening of family, and the intrusion of the State into other affairs (while he meant forced sterilization and abortions, I think that a good read would also include other areas).

There was an immediate outcry of dissent. Dissent, for whatever reason, is never to be taken lightly, and when that dissent is against the Vicar of Christ, one is placing oneself in judgement against the Holy Spirit. With Humanae Vitae, too many dissented without even reading this beautiful encyclical. They 'taught' that one's conscience should be the sole guide in the decision to use contraception (except of course when it was rejected, of course). They belittled the Pope's suggestion of Natural Family Planning as unscientific and unsuccessful (such as the Rhythm method which does not work well because a women's fertility is affected by many variables), and mock the successful methods. We have seen the fruits of contraception and the contraceptive mentality: an increase of 'legal' abortions on demand, at all stages of development and by any means including Partial Birth, the spread of pornography including all sorts of perversions, the rift of husband and wife and denigration of the family, the shirking of responsibility of men who father children, a raise in single mothers, cohabitation, perpetual adolescence especially of men, increase in violent crimes, etc. This is not even to delve into the homosexual agenda or the push for euthanasia. We see that our culture says that the only unsafe sexual act is one of complete openness that could result in the transmission of life. Sex is no longer a gift given among two married adults, but a means of taking pleasure. While not all of these fruits may be solely and directly caused by contraception, there are connections. These fruits of dissension, the fruits of contraception are all around us.

On the other side, though, those who embraced Humanae Vitae, have developed methods and understandings in conformity with the Church. The science behind Natural Family Planning is solid, and freeing. By teaching a woman and man the signs of fertility that can be scientifically verified, a true empowerment has occurred. First, it recognizes that God is God, we are not. For grave reason, a couple may refrain for sexual activity during their joint fertile times (about 100 hours a month). But it also can assist a couple in bearing a child. Instead of treating fertility as a disease with pills and latex, NFP treats it as a state of health, a means of being responsible for one's choices. Women are revered. Those practicing NFP have also gained fruits: open and honest dialog (after all, if you can talk about fertility, what can't you talk about), an openness to life and love, an ability to see children as gifts, an ability to see the other as a gift, a profound respect for all humans, and of generosity in other areas of life. Couples practicing NFP have a low divorce rate. In my experience, couples using NFP and their families tend to be happier.

Following the fruits, I know what tree I want for my parishioners! It makes it easy to preach Humanae Vitae, the Theology of the Body, and in reality all that the Church teaches. It makes the recommendation of NFP programs easy. It reminds me that the Holy Spirit is in charge. I believe consensus for Humanae Vitae is building, despite the critical dissenters. It is simply because 40 years of the fruits of dissent have been far too bitter for far too many, while the fruits of assent sweet and refreshing!